Credit: Angela Wang
Special Delivery from Grace’s Satchel: A Living Archive Lands in Shoreditch
Oh my word, Theatre Village friends — pop this in your diary and stick a shiny stamp on it. New Earth Theatre have only gone and launched the UK’s first ever public archive dedicated to British East and Southeast Asian (BESEA) theatre. That’s right — three decades of creativity, activism and sheer brilliance, all parcelled up into one glorious exhibition.
The Living Archive officially opens at Shoreditch Town Hall on Friday 26 September and runs until 11 October 2025. And yes, tickets are absolutely free (I do love the sound of that). Expect photographs, scripts, programmes, oral history snippets and even fresh new writing — it’s like rifling through a trunk stuffed with theatre’s best-kept treasures.
Project managers Dr Caleb Lee and Diana Feng call it “a living conversation between generations” — a chance to see how BESEA artists have challenged stereotypes, taken root and flourished, while inspiring the next wave to carry the torch forward. Honestly, it sounds like a love letter written across time.
Executive Director Lian Wilkinson also shared how fragile yet vital this archive is. With founder Kumiko Mendl stepping down last year and boxes of memories being hauled into a new office, the question was: how do you celebrate 30 years while keeping history alive? Well, thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund (give them a little round of applause, folks), New Earth can finally throw open the doors and share their story with us all.
And this isn’t just a one-off exhibit, oh no. Come Spring 2026, the entire archive will be made public — a proper gift to theatre lovers, researchers, and anyone who believes in the importance of seeing BESEA voices on our stages.
But wait, there’s more in this bumper anniversary season!
- Twisted Roots Festival (3–4 September at Bush Theatre, 9–10 September at Sheffield Theatres): brand new work-in-progress from BESEA artists who’ve been nurtured through the Seedfund programme.
- Beyond Representation: New Earth, New Strategies symposium (12 September at Royal Central School of Speech and Drama): a deep dive into decolonial theatre-making with performance excerpts developed alongside Headlong, Fengling Productions and Shakespeare’s Globe.
So, grab your free ticket for the Living Archive exhibition here: Shoreditch Town Hall.
This one feels less like a dusty filing cabinet and more like a treasure chest — brimming with voices, artefacts, and imagination that have already shaped the landscape of British theatre and will keep doing so for generations. Consider this your stamped-and-sealed invitation.
Until next time, keep your satchels open for more theatre post,
Grace
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